For a suite of applications developed for a common software platform (e.g., an application server platform), each application within the suite typically includes a group of services (e.g., content management services, workflow services, publishing services, search and query services) that are common amongst the applications in the suite.
As the software platform does not allow the services of one application to be shared by another, these services must be coded for and included in each application written for the software platform, even though multiple applications use common services. It would be very useful for there to be an ability to share certain services and ability to have dynamic associations among the elements of any particular application.
Applications, such as independent application 48 in FIG. 1, that do not share services will have the above enumerated services captured only for the purposes of implementation and operation of that application without the difficulties that arise if the services were shared among a number of applications. It would be very helpful if a number of applications could share such services but each application could still be distinguished from the other applications sharing these services and not have existing problems in sharing services.